The West, ever distancing itself from natural gas and nuclear, has been in an almost “hypnotic trance” about healing the planet with “soft energy” and renewables.

How has it happened that Vladimir Putin has gained a stranglehold over Europe’s energy supply? Michael Shellenberger explains in Bari Weiss’ Common Sense Substack: the West, seemingly stupefied in an attempt to heal its relationship with nature, averting climate apocalypse and worshiping a teenager named Greta, allowed Putin to make his moves.

The West’s Green Delusions

The lack of realism with the climate movement has ignored an important consideration: developed and developing nations are not going to forgo energy use. Now or ever. Yes, higher and lower carbon paths to the future are possible, offers Holman W. Jenkins in the WSJ.

The U.S. and others might have enacted carbon taxes long ago to foster the necessary technologies. They still might, though not because of the climate lobby’s persuasiveness. It’s far more likely to happen now because politicians want revenues to finance pro-growth tax cuts.

Climate Change – A Towering Lack of Realism

Give the public a choice between believing climate change is the end of the world or a crock, they will choose crock. Even more so if choosing “end of the world” also means volunteering to surrender their standard of living.

As an example, Mr. Jenkins writes of a few energy-related subjects in the wake of Russia’s market-roiling actions in Ukraine. Exxon was already riding high on the recovery of oil prices.

The world has shown it’s not remotely prepared to do without fossil fuels. And a beneficiary has been Engine No. 1, the hedge fund that fought a noisy battle last year for Exxon board seats, saying it wanted to lead the oil giant away from fossil fuels, a claim the media bought hook, line and sinker.

Putin has been relentless in focusing Russia on energy reality, observes Mr. Shellenberger, Putin now finds himself in a stronger position than “he should ever have been allowed to find himself.”

It’s not too late for the rest of the West to save the world from tyrannical regimes that have been empowered by our own energy superstitions.